Emphasis has grown on systems security and field team management tools as telework becomes more accepted as an alternative for federal offices nationwide, Federal News Radio reported Friday.Michael O’Connell writes that at the U.S. Census Bureau, the technology team has been on a campaign to allow its feds to work remotely and halve the number of regional offices along the way.
“Key to the success of that initiative was obviously technology and our ability to support employees doing vital work for the bureau using personally owned equipment and out of their homes,” Brian McGrath, the bureau’s chief information officer, told Federal News Radio.
“We went forward with a virtual desktop infrastructure solution from our private cloud that has allowed at this point 5,000 employees to work from their home, not requiring equipment from the government and not requiring formal office space to do that job,” he added.
The bureau’s initiative leverages new wireless, mobile and cloud technologies to give employees access to the tools they need to work from home and to secure access points.
“So, really, embracing mobility, we’re allowing folks to use those devices which they are most comfortable and confident in using,” he added.
The model permits workers to use their own devices for work, with the government agency providing minimal training on how to securely access their work tools.
